1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an yttrium oxide material, a member for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a method for producing the yttrium oxide material.
2. Description of the Related Art
An yttrium oxide material that contains 2% to 30% by weight of silicon carbide having a particle size of 0.03 to 5 μm has been proposed as a ceramic member for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The yttrium oxide material has high electrical conductivity and exhibits high corrosion resistance and durability in a halogen plasma gas (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-69843).
Although the yttrium oxide material described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-69843 specifically contains silicon carbide to increase electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and durability in semiconductor manufacturing, these characteristics are still insufficient. Thus, there is a demand for further improvement in characteristics, including mechanical strength. While the yttrium oxide material described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-69843 has an increased electrical conductivity, there is another demand for yttrium oxide materials that have low electrical conductivity or high volume resistivity.
In view of the situations described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an yttrium oxide material that has high mechanical strength, a member for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a method for producing the yttrium oxide material. It is another object of the present invention to provide an yttrium oxide material that has high volume resistivity, a member for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a method for producing the yttrium oxide material.